Aidan O'Connell
![]() O'Connell with Purdue in 2022 | |||||||||||||
No. 12 – Las Vegas Raiders | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Long Grove, Illinois, U.S. | September 1, 1998||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Illinois) | ||||||||||||
College: | Purdue (2017–2022) | ||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2023 / round: 4 / pick: 135 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2023 | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Aidan James O'Connell (born September 1, 1998) is an American professional football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Early life
[edit]O'Connell was born in Long Grove, Illinois, on September 1, 1998.[1] O'Connell is the middle child of five brothers: Sean, Patrick, Liam, and Seamus. He also has one sister, Grace.
O'Connell played high school football and basketball for Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois.[2] He was not a highly recruited Illinois high school athlete, as his only scholarship offer came from Davenport University, a Division II school.[3] In 2016, his only season as a starter, he threw for a school record 2,741 yards and 26 touchdowns.[4][5]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
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Aidan O'Connell QB |
Lincolnshire, Illinois | Stevenson (IL) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Feb 6, 2016 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: NR (IL) ESPN: NR (national), NR (QB, pocket passer), NR (IL) | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
[edit]On February 3, 2017, O'Connell committed to play college football for Wheaton College,[6] but less than a month later, he accepted a preferred walk-on spot with Purdue.[6][7]
After not playing in 2017 and 2018, he played in six games in 2019 and started three. He made his first career start against Northwestern, completing 34 of 50 passes for 271 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.[8] Overall that season, he completed 103 of 164 passes for 1,101 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. O'Connell entered 2020 as the starter before suffering a season-ending injury after three games.[9] He completed 88 of 136 passes for 916 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. O'Connell entered 2021 as the backup to Jack Plummer, but eventually took over as the starter and completed 315 of 440 passes for 3,712 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He decided to enter the 2023 NFL draft after the 2022 season.[10]
College statistics
[edit]Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
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GP | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
Purdue Boilermakers | |||||||||||||||
2017 | 0 | — | DNP | ||||||||||||
2018 | 0 | — | |||||||||||||
2019 | 6 | 1–2 | 103 | 164 | 62.8 | 1,101 | 6.7 | 8 | 4 | 130.4 | 15 | -9 | -0.6 | 0 | |
2020 | 3 | 2–1 | 88 | 136 | 64.7 | 916 | 6.7 | 7 | 2 | 135.3 | 12 | -64 | -5.3 | 0 | |
2021 | 12 | 7–3 | 315 | 440 | 71.6 | 3,712 | 8.4 | 28 | 11 | 158.5 | 25 | -120 | -4.8 | 1 | |
2022 | 12 | 7–5 | 320 | 499 | 64.1 | 3,490 | 7.0 | 22 | 13 | 132.2 | 43 | -81 | -1.9 | 1 | |
Career | 33 | 17−11 | 826 | 1,239 | 66.7 | 9,219 | 7.4 | 65 | 30 | 141.6 | 95 | -274 | -2.9 | 2 |
Professional career
[edit]Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
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6 ft 3+3⁄8 in (1.91 m) |
213 lb (97 kg) |
32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | |||||||||
All values from the NFL Combine[11][12] |
O'Connell was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round with the 135th pick of the 2023 NFL draft.[13]
2023 season
[edit]On October 1, 2023, O'Connell made his first career NFL start, filling in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo. Playing against the Los Angeles Chargers, he went 24-of-39 for 238 yards and had his first career rushing touchdown on a goal-line sneak. The Raiders lost 24–17 in his debut.[14] On November 1, 2023, O'Connell was named the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.[15] During the Week 16 Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs, where despite his team winning 20–14, O'Connell went 9 of 21 in pass attempts for 62 yards, never completing a pass after the first quarter.[16] O'Connell went 5–5 as a starter. He finished with 2,218 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and 7 interceptions to go with a rushing touchdown.[17]
2024 season
[edit]Following a preseason quarterback competition with new free agent signing Gardner Minshew, O'Connell was named a backup to begin the season.[18]
NFL career statistics
[edit]Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
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GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
2023 | LV | 11 | 10 | 5−5 | 213 | 343 | 62.1 | 2,218 | 6.5 | 50 | 12 | 7 | 83.9 | 17 | 11 | 0.6 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 173 | 4 | 2 |
Career | 11 | 10 | 5−5 | 213 | 343 | 62.1 | 2,218 | 6.5 | 50 | 12 | 7 | 83.9 | 17 | 11 | 0.6 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 173 | 4 | 2 |
Personal life
[edit]O'Connell is married to Jael O'Connell (née Johnson), who played volleyball at Purdue.[19]
References
[edit]- ^ "Aidan O'Connell biography". purduesports.com. Purdue University Athletics. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ^ McGraw, Patricia Babcock (October 6, 2016). "Daily Herald: Stevenson's 'O' vs. Lake Zurich's 'D'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Narang, Bobby (December 14, 2016). "Recruiting notes: Stevenson's Aidan O'Connell opts for college football". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Reaven, Steve (March 6, 2017). "Purdue-bound QB Aidan O'Connell wraps up Stevenson athletic career". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ McGraw, Patricia Babcock (September 15, 2016). "Stevenson's O'Connell making the most of his chance". Football Focus. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ a b Carmin, Mike (November 8, 2019). "Aidan O'Connell's journey ; Wheaton College commitment to Purdue's starting quarterback". Lafayette Journal & Courier. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Narang, Bob (December 9, 2021). "Aidan O'Connell had no Division I scholarship offers coming out of Stevenson. But in his first season starting for Purdue, he has become one of the nation's top QBs. Is the NFL next?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ Carmin, Mike (November 9, 2019). "Purdue, Aidan O'Connell produce more fourth-quarter magic at Northwestern". Journal and Courier. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ Rittenberg, Adam (December 4, 2020). "Purdue's O'Connell to have surgery; season over". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ Fezler, D. J. (December 13, 2021). "Quarterback Aidan O'Connell Announces Decision to Return to Purdue Next Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ "Aidan O'Connell Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Aidan O'Connell College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ Edwards, Levi (April 29, 2023). "Raiders trade up to No. 135 to select QB Aidan O'Connell". Raiders.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ Edwards, Levi (October 1, 2023). "What did rookie Aidan O'Connell learn in his first NFL start?". Las Vegas Raiders. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ Simmons, Myles (November 1, 2023). "Aidan O'Connell will replace Jimmy Garoppolo as Raiders starting QB". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ Skretta, Dave (December 25, 2023). "Raiders stun sloppy Chiefs with 2 defensive TDs in 20-14 victory on Christmas Day". Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ "Aidan O'Connell 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ "Raiders name Gardner Minshew starting QB over Aidan O'Connell". Fox Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Auerbach, Nicole (August 30, 2022). "Aidan O'Connell, Purdue's elder statesman QB, sets sights on a season for the ages". The Athletic. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Career statistics and player information from Yahoo! Sports
- Las Vegas Raiders bio
- Purdue Boilermakers bio